The 2012 European Individual Championship was held at Plovdiv, Bulgaria in late March. The eleven round tournament was a massive 'swiss' with 348 players, including 176 grandmasters. Apart from the prize fund of 100,000 Euros, the drawcard for such a strong showing was that the top 23 finishers would qualify for the next World Cup tournament.
English GM Gawain Jones, who played in the Queenstown Classic in January, made the best start with 4/4. He was gradually overhauled, but held on to score 7½ and qualify for the World Cup. The sole leader going into the last round was French GM Laurent Fressinet, half a point ahead of nine players. Russian GM Dmitry Jakovenko was paired against Fressinet in the last round, which is today's game. In a powerful display of precision chess, Jakovenko gained a slight advantage with the white pieces and gradually enlarged it to win the game and the tournament. His final score of 8½ was enough for outright first place as all the other players within reach drew their final games.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4
This pin is infrequently played in the Queen's Gambit Declined, but usually leads back to normal lines, such as the Ragozin System in this case. 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.e3 c5 8.dxc5 ---
In turn an unusual choice, most common is 8 Bd3. Black should not recapture the pawn immediately here as 8... Nxc5?! 9 Qd4! Bxc3+ 10 Qxc3 offers him no compensation for his weak d-pawn and loss of the bishop pair. 8.--- Qa5 9.Rc1 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 O-O 11.Nd4 Qxc5
The strength of White's position is based around his central knight and two bishops. On the other hand Black has active pieces and weak pawns to attack on a2 and c3. His last move may not be the best, as 11...Ne4 freeing the Nd7 to capture on c5 keeps the black queen's gaze directed on the other two pawns. 12.Bd3 Re8 13.O-O Ne4 14.Bf4 Ne5 15.Bxe5! ---
One of the advantages of the bishop pair is that it can given up for other advantages. This exchange of the seemingly powerful bishop allows White to eliminate the weak c-pawn while retaining the more active remaining minor pieces. 15.--- Rxe5 16.c4 Nf6 17.Qb3 Re7 18.Rfd1 Bg4
The development of this bishop is a major headache for Black. It had no other square to move to and now gets driven back to allow an advantageous exchange for White. 19.f3 Be6 20.cxd5 Qxd5 21.Bc4 Qe5 22.f4 Qe4 23.Nxe6 fxe6 24.Be2 ---
With bishop against knight and Black's glaring weakness on e6, White is content to grind out a technical win with minimal risk. He could well have chosen the more forceful 24 Rd4 Qf5 25 Rd6 Rae8 26 Bb5 Ne4 when 27 Rd4 Nc5 28 Qa3 Rc8 29 Qxa7 wins a pawn without giving Black any respite. 24.--- Nd5 25.Kf2 Qb4
White threatened 26 Bf3 but the queen swap leaves a difficult defensive task. 25...Qf5 26 Bf3 Nb6 isn't much better, though with all the White pieces superior to their Black counterparts. 26.Bc4 Qxb3 27.Bxb3 Nc7 28.Rc5 Kf8 29.Re5 g6 30.h4! ---
Opening up a second front to create a fresh weakness for Black to defend. 30.--- Kg7 31.h5 Rf8 32.g4 Rff7 33.Rg5 Rd7?!
Black finally cracks – losing a pawn by force. 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.Bc2 Kf8 36.Rxg6 Rxd1 37.Bxd1 Rh7 38.Bb3 Ke7 39.f5 exf5 40.gxf5 ---
The two connected passed pawns ensure the win and Black could safely resign here. 40.--- Ne8 41.e4 Nd6 42.f6+ Resigns
Jakovenko wins European Individual Championship
Problem: White to play and mate in 4.
The 2012 European Individual Championship was held at Plovdiv, Bulgaria in late March. The eleven round tournament was a massive 'swiss' with 348 players, including 176 grandmasters. Apart from the prize fund of 100,000 Euros, the drawcard for such a strong showing was that the top 23 finishers would qualify for the next World Cup tournament.
English GM Gawain Jones, who played in the Queenstown Classic in January, made the best start with 4/4. He was gradually overhauled, but held on to score 7½ and qualify for the World Cup. The sole leader going into the last round was French GM Laurent Fressinet, half a point ahead of nine players. Russian GM Dmitry Jakovenko was paired against Fressinet in the last round, which is today's game. In a powerful display of precision chess, Jakovenko gained a slight advantage with the white pieces and gradually enlarged it to win the game and the tournament. His final score of 8½ was enough for outright first place as all the other players within reach drew their final games.
1.d4 d5
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Bb4
This pin is infrequently played in the Queen's Gambit Declined, but usually leads back to normal lines, such as the Ragozin System in this case.
4.Nf3 Nf6
5.cxd5 exd5
6.Bg5 Nbd7
7.e3 c5
8.dxc5 ---
In turn an unusual choice, most common is 8 Bd3. Black should not recapture the pawn immediately here as 8... Nxc5?! 9 Qd4! Bxc3+ 10 Qxc3 offers him no compensation for his weak d-pawn and loss of the bishop pair.
8.--- Qa5
9.Rc1 Bxc3+
10.bxc3 O-O
11.Nd4 Qxc5
The strength of White's position is based around his central knight and two bishops. On the other hand Black has active pieces and weak pawns to attack on a2 and c3. His last move may not be the best, as 11...Ne4 freeing the Nd7 to capture on c5 keeps the black queen's gaze directed on the other two pawns.
12.Bd3 Re8
13.O-O Ne4
14.Bf4 Ne5
15.Bxe5! ---
One of the advantages of the bishop pair is that it can given up for other advantages. This exchange of the seemingly powerful bishop allows White to eliminate the weak c-pawn while retaining the more active remaining minor pieces.
15.--- Rxe5
16.c4 Nf6
17.Qb3 Re7
18.Rfd1 Bg4
The development of this bishop is a major headache for Black. It had no other square to move to and now gets driven back to allow an advantageous exchange for White.
19.f3 Be6
20.cxd5 Qxd5
21.Bc4 Qe5
22.f4 Qe4
23.Nxe6 fxe6
24.Be2 ---
With bishop against knight and Black's glaring weakness on e6, White is content to grind out a technical win with minimal risk. He could well have chosen the more forceful 24 Rd4 Qf5 25 Rd6 Rae8 26 Bb5 Ne4 when 27 Rd4 Nc5 28 Qa3 Rc8 29 Qxa7 wins a pawn without giving Black any respite.
24.--- Nd5
25.Kf2 Qb4
White threatened 26 Bf3 but the queen swap leaves a difficult defensive task. 25...Qf5 26 Bf3 Nb6 isn't much better, though with all the White pieces superior to their Black counterparts.
26.Bc4 Qxb3
27.Bxb3 Nc7
28.Rc5 Kf8
29.Re5 g6
30.h4! ---
Opening up a second front to create a fresh weakness for Black to defend.
30.--- Kg7
31.h5 Rf8
32.g4 Rff7
33.Rg5 Rd7?!
Black finally cracks – losing a pawn by force.
34.hxg6 hxg6
35.Bc2 Kf8
36.Rxg6 Rxd1
37.Bxd1 Rh7
38.Bb3 Ke7
39.f5 exf5
40.gxf5 ---
The two connected passed pawns ensure the win and Black could safely resign here.
40.--- Ne8
41.e4 Nd6
42.f6+ Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1 Qxg5+!! Kxg5 (1... Kf7 2 Rf4+ Ke8 3 Qxg8+ Ke7 4 Rf7#) 2 Rg4+ Kf5 3 Rh5+ Rg5 4 Rxg5#.